


Holiday Harbinger Gift (WIP)

by vyrenrolar



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Disability, F/M, Marriage of Convenience, Slow Burn, edi is a service dog, other characters are minor, steve/james is background, tali wears a purple niqab fight me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 05:45:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13540980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vyrenrolar/pseuds/vyrenrolar
Summary: A teenage Shepard starts keeping an eye out for one Jeff "Joker" Moreau. Soon he can't imagine life without her. What happens after graduation?





	1. In which the bond is formed

It started in high school. The guidance counselor had called her into his office towards the end of her junior year to tell her that she needed to pick up another extracurricular.

“What are you talking about? I'm fine.”

“Well, according to your file, you aren't doing anything through the school, and that's something colleges are going to question, you know, and--”

“Okay first of all, I'm joining the marines, so I really don't give a shit what colleges want. Second of all, even if I did give a shit, I have like six years of various martial arts under my belt, not to mention JROTC. What more do you want?”

The counselor smiled at her, lips tight. “We would just appreciate it if you were a little more well rounded, is all.”

Shepard crossed her arms. “Fine. If it’ll make the powers that be happy, I’ll find something to waste my time with by next year. Now if you’ll excuse me,  _ sir _ , I have lunch,” she growled slightly as she turned on her heel.

She made quick work of the lunchline, and once she had paid for her food, cast her eyes about the cafeteria. She saw Jimmy, Steve, Kaidan, and Ash in their usual spot by the vending machine, but maybe…

“Uh...not that I’m complaining, but, like. Why are you sitting here? This is the loser table.”

“Easy, Moreau, I’m not gonna bite. I got a favor to ask.”

“A favor? From me? Yeah, okay, sure. What could you possibly want from me?”

“You’re in concert band, yeah?” At Joker’s nod, she continued. “But you can’t do marching band, ‘cause of the chair. Now, I just got read the riot act by Counselor Udina for not having enough extracurriculars, but like. I hate people? But then I figured, hey, maybe I could like. Push you around? And you could use that badass keyboard thing that clips onto the arms.”

Joker stared at her, slack jawed, while she continued to shovel food into her mouth. “You...you’re serious? Shit, okay. Yeah. Yeah I’ll talk to the director. Shit. Yeah.”

Shepard nodded, shoved the last bite into her mouth, and grabbed her tray. “See you.”

 

 

Remarkably, it worked out. The band director was overjoyed to have his star keyboardist in the marching band, Udina was satisfied that Shepard was doing something other than slaughtering punching bags, and in the space of a few months, Joker had become untouchable.

Shepard didn’t need to stay for band practice when they weren’t choreographing for sporting events, but after learning that Joker’s mother couldn’t come to pick him up until after she got out of work at 5, she had started driving him home. She usually trained in the weight room while she waited, but occasionally she would run laps around the building.

She heard them before she saw them. It was the laughter that got to her. There was something bitter, poisonous even, in the sound, and it caused her to quicken her pace. When she finally came around the auditorium corner, she froze for a moment, then burst into a full sprint. She ran purely on instinct, only capable of enough coherent thought to know that they were hurting him, hurting her friend, hurting Joker, and she had to stop them.

It was over almost before they realized she was there. She slammed one of the football players into the wall, another into the side of the dumpster. The other, the one who had been pummeling Joker while he was held up by the others, she kneed in the crotch. She kicked him in the side of the head, and he fell to the ground without ceremony. His cronies, who had somewhat recovered, looked at their leader in terror before bolting away from the girl seething before them.

She snorted angrily, then set about collecting her friend’s wheelchair from where it had been tossed before turning back to him. She softened when she knelt down to inspect his wounds, concern etched into the lines of her face. “Jeff, you okay? You with me?”

She winced as Joker spat out some blood, then pursed her lips when he started laughing. “Dude. Dude that was awesome.” He coughed a little, spat again, and continued, still lying prone. “Shepard man you just came outta nowhere like a fucking superhero. God that was amazing. Ow. Ugh, I think they broke my rib. Or three of them. I--” he was cut off by a groan coming from the still semi conscious football player a few feet away. “Shit.”

“It’s all right, Moreau. I’ll take care of it.” Shepard stood and pulled out her cell phone. It was going to be a long afternoon.   
  


 

 

After that, even when Shepard wasn’t around, high school bullies had a mysterious habit of disappearing whenever Joker wheeled around a corner. He thought it was great, and only stopped recounting the heroic tale to his friends when Tali threatened to re-break his ribs. What really surprised him was when Jimmy Vega came up to him one day after pre-calc, apologized for his teammates’ behavior, and told him he had seen to it that they were kicked off the team. “I don’t tolerate...that shit’s just not cool, man. Besides, Shepard cares about you, so that sorta makes you family.”

He talked to Shepard about it when she was driving him home that afternoon. “I mean, the dude’s never said three words to me, and now all of a sudden we’re family? What gives?” Shepard chuckled, but said nothing. Joker pressed, “No, I’m serious. What is it with you and the other meatheads?”

“We’re all in JROTC together. Have been since middle school. Well, not Steve, but he and Jimmy having been dating forever, so he’s always around. My mom and Ash’s dad served together, before her dad died. Kaidan’s step-dad is pushing him into a military career; honestly all the kid wants to do is paint, but we look out for him. We all look out for each other I guess.” She shrugged as they pulled into Joker’s driveway. “Well, this is you. Gimme a sec and I’ll get your chair out of the trunk.”

When he finished the ordeal of moving into this wheelchair, he coughed nervously. “Do you, ah, do you wanna come in? Meet my service dog?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I know you have that chem test on Tuesday. I could help you study?”

She thought a moment, shrugged, then reached into the car for her bag. “Sure. But you know your friend Tali is the only reason you passed chem, right?”

He laughed and followed her in.


	2. In which the bond is solidified

It was January, and he was having one of his Bad Days. He had stayed home from school, too exhausted to get out of bed. He didn’t know if it was from the depression, the meds, or just pushing his body too hard, but he couldn’t fucking do it. His dog Edi was a lifesaver, as always. Brought him everything he asked for, even dragged his ass out of bed when he needed help getting to the bathroom. Neither his pant leg nor his dignity remained intact, but he got there and back. He spent most of the day drifting in and out of sleep, but found himself completely awake when he heard someone pounding on the door.

“Moreau! Dude! You alive in there?” Shepard’s voice came through the door, muffled, but definitely hers.

Joker tried to get up, groaned, then told Edi to get the door. She did so, and soon Shepard was leaning against his door frame with her bag slung over her shoulder. “Your dog knows how to open the door?”

He groaned again, then forced himself to sit up. “Fuck. Ow. Yeah, there’s a rope she can pull. It’s pretty cool I guess. She can open my mini fridge too. We’re trying to teach her to flush the toilet, just to see if we can.”

Shepard chuckled. “You need any help?” She tried not to ask that very often; she knew how much Joker hated relying on others.

“I...yeah. If you could just--yeah. Help me move--yeah. Thanks.” She helped him move so that he was resting against the headboard, then sat on the foot of his bed, facing him.

“I brought your homework for you. Tali wanted to come, but it’s Friday, so...yeah.” She pulled a folder out of her backpack and tossed it on the floor next to the bed. Edi sniffed it, the bag, and Shepard, then settled onto her cushion by the closet door. “She told me you were probably fine, but like. Are you okay?” Shepard’s eyebrows knit together.

“Yeah. I mean, not really, but yeah. Sometimes my body just...doesn’t, anymore. It sucks, but I deal.”

Shepard grunted in sympathy. “When does your mom get home today?”

Joker grimaced. “Not until late. She’s cleaning like 4 extra houses today because her friend is sick.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah.”

“D’you, like, want me to make you something? Food, I mean.”

“Oh, please, you don’t have to...wait. What would you make?” He narrowed his eyes at her.

“Pasta? That’s easy, right?”

“Oh my god, do you even know how to cook?” He grinned.

“Bitch, please, I’ve been cooking for myself since I was nine years old.” She pursed her lips at him. “I just. I’m...forget it. Gonna go cook spaghetti or something.” She rose and left to go to the kitchen, not quite stomping her way there.

Joker puzzled over her behavior while she was gone. She wasn’t usually that awkward…

Soon enough, Shepard returned with two steaming bowls of spaghetti. Joker ate with gusto, having only eaten a couple of granola bars and a banana earlier that day. He moaned at the taste, asking what the hell she had done to the sauce to make it so much better than usual.

She blushed. She  _ blushed _ . Obviously he couldn’t mention it, but he saw it. Shepard  _ blushed _ . “I dunno, I just added spices and shit until it tasted right. Also some lemon? I figured it needed lemon.

“Shit, man,” Joker said around another heaping mouthful. “Thought you were looking for something easy to make, and now here you are putting in all this extra effort and shit. I mean what do you even--”

“I care about you, okay?” She cut him off, her hands balled into fists beside her legs. Her food had barely been touched, and she was glaring daggers at the door. “I’m not good at that,” she muttered.

“Why?”

She looked at him then, wrinkling her nose. “Why am I not good at that?”

“No no no,” he said, putting his bowl on the dresser beside him. “No, I meant...why do you care? Like I get doing the band stuff, and don’t get me wrong, I’m super grateful for you saving my life back in October and shit, but like. I’m nobody. Why the hell do you care about me?”

She blinked. She hadn’t really thought about it before. “I don’t. Um. Shit.” She stared harder at the door, willing herself not to tear up. “Look, I don’t make friends easy. Jimmy and Ash and them, we’ve been through hell together, so it’s different. Summer boot camp bullshit. Shared trauma, you know.” She saw Joker nod out of the corner of her eye, and felt the tiniest bit of tension leave her arms. “But you’re just. I don’t know, you’re there. I don’t scare you off, and like. That’s a lot. Most people think I’d kill them soon as look at them, but you’re not, like, intimidated. You’re never afraid to say anything, I mean anything, and that’s a lot. You’re a lot. You’re also funny as shit, and honestly, I can’t remember the last time I laughed that wasn’t because of you.”

Joker was silent for a moment, then picked up his spaghetti again. “Huh,” he said, before taking another bite.

“Huh? That’s it?”

“Yup.”

She shoved him playfully. “Dick.”

He grinned at her. “Bitch.”

  
  


It was 3 a.m. when her phone rang. “H’lo?” Her voice was thick with sleep.

“I’m...sorry, I just. Can you come over? God, I’m sorry.”

Wide awake in an instant, she swung herself out of bed. “Yeah, no, of course. Don’t be sorry. It’s okay. 15 minutes? Are you okay? Jeff, are you okay?” Her voice was shaking as she rushed to put on her boots.

“Yeah, I’m just. I’m not. I’m sorry.”

She put the phone on speaker and drove entirely too quickly to her friend’s house, talking to him all the way. By the time she pulled into his driveway, she knew he was having an anxiety attack, his mother was still asleep, and his dog wasn’t enough to calm him down

When she got to his room she found him curled into himself on the bed, sobbing. She toed off her boots and slipped under the covers, wrapping her arms around him. She held him until his breathing slowed, then sat up and gently turned him over onto his back. She placed her hand on his cheek and smiled at him, saying nothing, just waiting.

“‘M sorry,” he muttered.

“None of that, now. Just talk to me, Jeff. That’s all. Tell me what happened.” She was never this gentle when she spoke to anyone else.

And so he talked. He told her of the fight he had had with his mother at dinner. They had yelled about a lot of things, but it boiled down to this: his mother wanted him to go to college. He didn’t think it was worth it. “What am I gonna do, get a job? No one would fucking hire me. I’m gonna be on disability for the rest of my life, why would I waste money on a fucking degree? What would I even major in, anyway? Piano? Stand up comedy? I can’t even stand half the time, let alone be funny about it.”

Shepard snorted in spite of herself. “So what do you want to do?”

He groaned. “I don’t know, rot?”

“Ha ha. I’m serious though. You can’t win an argument with an adult unless you have an alternative to their idea. It’s science.”

He laughed at that, then made a disgusted face as he realized he still had snot on his upper lip. Shepard must have seen it at roughly the same time, because she wordlessly handed him a tissue. He thanked her.

“I really don’t know. Honestly I didn’t think I was gonna make it this far. Figured I’d take one too many dumpster dives and that would be it, you know?”

Shepard’s eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t let that happen.”

He scoffed. “Well, yeah, now you wouldn’t. But like, you weren’t exactly around when we were freshmen.”

She looked away.

“No, shit, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just. Ah, what the hell. You’re like this brand new thing in my life, and suddenly there’s a reason to get up in the morning besides music, like an actual person reason. And that’s terrifying sometimes, because you’re just gonna be gone in like three months, and I’m gonna have to figure out who I am without you, and I don’t wanna fucking do that! So I just...I try not to think about it, you know? Except then I do think about it, and somehow this random ass jarhead wannabe is my best friend, and I can’t imagine life without her, I don’t even wanna try, and that scares the hell out of me. The only thing I know I want to do after graduation is you.”

She looked at him, mouth hanging slightly open.

“Wait. Shit. That last part came out wrong. I didn’t mean--”

“Let’s get married.”

It was Joker, this time, who found himself at a loss for words. After a few minutes impersonating a fish, he finally managed to choke out a “what?”

“Let’s get married.”

“No, I heard you, but...what?”

“Shit, sorry. Brain...fast. 4 a.m.? Words are hard.” She shook her head roughly. “If we get married, not like, a ceremony or anything, just like. We go to the courthouse and sign the paperwork, then you can live with me on base. As long as I don’t get stationed anywhere scary, you can come with me. It doesn’t have to be a relationship thing, I mean it won’t be, right? But we could get, like. Best friend married. And like, there’s always music shit at the bases? And bars nearby where you could play. If you wanted, I mean. Hell, you’ve heard you play, you could make decent tips doing something like that.” Her face lit up more with each sentence, eyes shining with excitement.

“You...you’re serious. You’re actually serious. You would do that for me?” He is incredulous.

“Not just for you, asshole. I’d, uh, I'd sleep better knowing you were safe. Wouldn’t have to worry.” There was that blush again, the one that made him forget how to fucking breathe.

“Shepard, I...shit. Yeah. Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay. Yeah. This could...this could actually work. Shit. Shit, it’s like 4:30. Do you wanna figure it out after more sleeping?”

“Yeah, okay. Should I, uh, couch?” She gestured to the door.

“Nah, my mom won’t give a shit. You can stay here.” He heard her swallow, and backtracked. “If you want, I mean. You can totally sleep on the couch. Or go home. I don’t care. I mean I care, but, you know. If you wanted to stay here, with me, that’d...that’d be okay. If you want.”

“Do you want me to stay?” She whispered, almost inaudible.

He furrowed his brow. “Yeah, but I mean...you know I’m not asking you for sex, right? Just, like. Sleeping.”

He could  _ see _ the tension leave her shoulders. “Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I can stay.” With that, she slid back under the covers, and wrapped herself around her friend. It was the best night’s sleep either of them had had in years.


End file.
